第44课

旁白 neutral

People travelling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air.

长途旅行的人经常不得不决定他们是愿意乘陆路、海路还是空路。

旁白 neutral

Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours.

几乎没有人会真正喜欢坐几个小时以上的火车。

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Train compartments soon get cramped and stuffy.

火车车厢很快就会变得又挤又闷。

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It is almost impossible to take your mind off the journey.

几乎不可能不去想旅途。

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Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon lull you to sleep.

阅读只是一个部分解决方案，因为车轮在铁轨上单调的咔嗒声很快就会让你昏昏欲睡。

旁白 neutral

During the day, sleep comes in snatches.

白天，睡眠是断断续续的。

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At night, when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to do so.

晚上，当你真正想睡觉时，你却很少能做到。

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If you are lucky enough to get a sleeper,

如果你足够幸运能得到一个卧铺，

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you spend half the night staring at the small blue light in the ceiling, or fumbling to find your ticket for inspection.

你会花半夜的时间盯着天花板上那盏小蓝灯，或者摸索着找票以备查验。

旁白 neutral

Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted.

不可避免地，你到达目的地时几乎精疲力尽。

旁白 neutral

Long car journeys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read.

长途汽车旅行甚至更不愉快，因为连阅读都是完全不可能的。

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On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds,

在高速公路上，你至少可以相当安全地高速行驶，

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but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on roads with few service stations and too much traffic.

但通常情况下，旅途的大部分时间是在服务站很少且交通拥堵的道路上度过的。

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By comparison, ferry trips or cruises offer a great variety of civilized comforts.

相比之下，渡轮旅行或邮轮旅行提供了各种文明的舒适享受。

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You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games,

你可以在宽敞的甲板上伸展双腿，玩游戏，

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meet interesting people and enjoy good food--always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm.

结识有趣的人，享受美食——当然，前提是海面风平浪静。

旁白 neutral

If it is not, and you are likely to get seasick, no form of transport could be worse.

如果不是，而且你很可能会晕船，那么没有哪种交通方式会更糟了。

旁白 neutral

Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time.

即使你在理想的天气中旅行，海路旅行也需要很长时间。

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Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice holiday time for the pleasure of travelling by sea.

相对而言，很少有人愿意为了海上旅行的乐趣而牺牲假期时间。

旁白 neutral

Aeroplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardened travellers are intimidated by them.

飞机有危险的名声，即使是经验丰富的旅行者也会被它们吓倒。

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They also have the disadvantage of being an expensive form of transport.

它们还有另一个缺点，就是价格昂贵的交通方式。

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But nothing can match them for speed and comfort.

但论速度和舒适度，没有任何交通工具能与它们相比。

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Travelling at a height of 30,000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an hour is an exhilarating experience.

在三万英尺高空，远在云层之上，以每小时超过500英里的速度飞行，是一种令人兴奋的体验。

旁白 neutral

You do not have to devise ways of taking your mind off the journey, for an aeroplane gets you to your destination rapidly.

你不必绞尽脑汁去分散旅途的注意力，因为飞机能迅速将你送达目的地。

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For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight.

几个小时里，你可以靠在舒适的扶手椅上享受飞行。

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The real escapist can watch a film and sip champagne on some services.

真正的逃避现实者可以在某些航班上观看电影并品尝香槟。

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But even when such refinements are not available, there is plenty to keep you occupied.

但即使没有这些精致的服务，也有很多事情能让你保持忙碌。

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An aeroplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world.

飞机为你提供了独特而令人惊叹的世界景观。

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You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys.

你毫不费力地翱翔于高山深谷之上。

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You really see the shape of the land.

你真切地看到了大地的轮廓。

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If the landscape is hidden from view,

如果风景被遮挡，

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you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch out for miles before you, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky.

你可以欣赏到绵延数英里的连绵不断的云海奇景，同时阳光在晴朗的天空中灿烂地照耀。

旁白 neutral

The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping.

旅途如此平稳，没有什么能阻止你阅读或睡觉。

旁白 neutral

However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrumpled.

无论你决定如何度过时间，有一件事是肯定的：你将精神焕发、衣着整洁地抵达目的地。

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You will not have to spend the next few days recovering from a long and arduous journey.

你不必花接下来的几天来从漫长而艰辛的旅程中恢复。